15 Repurposed Furniture Ideas That Will Give Your Pieces a Fresh Look

There is no denying that bringing home a new decor item is thrilling. The satisfaction of repurposed furniture that is all your own? Yowza! After all, upcycled furniture is not only affordable, it gives you an opportunity to work on DIY projects that allow you to exercise considerable creative muscle, and it is more sustainable than buying a new piece.According to the Environmental Protection Agency, as of 2018, there was about 12 million tons of furniture and furnishings waste generated, with roughly 9 million making it to the landfill. Old furniture made of wood was the largest waste material generated in the category. “It’s doing your part to combat the climate crisis, but in a way that’s not only practical and beautiful but feel-good too,” says Whitney Frances Falk, founder and CEO of the New York–based furniture rental serviceZZ Driggs.

If you need a bit inspiration to get started on afurniture makeover project,ADhas 15 stellar repurposed furniture ideas from upcycling experts who share their favorite, innovative (and easy!) ideas for turning one piece into another.

What is repurposed furniture?

“Repurposed furniture is furniture given a second lease on life—whether reupholstered, refinished, repainted, or redone,” Falk says. Think of this makeover as more than something cosmetic for a coffee table or an old dresser, but, in some cases, a complete functional transformation. For example, reconfiguring acoffee table into a huge planteror adding doors on a bookcase to make it into anorganized kitchen pantry. “It’s reworking [furniture] in a way that brings utility and beauty to your interior,” she continues. And because repurposed furniture is often a DIY project, it turns in a sentimental piece that’s a conversation starter.

What is it called when you repurpose furniture?

“Repurposing furniture is also commonly known as upcycling,” says Grace Baena, interiors curator for used-furniture marketplaceKaiyo. “For most, it’s a way to take something that may have seen better days and make it feel fully custom and unique.” Repurposing furniture, whether it’s a bookcase or a nightstand, is one of the most useful, alluring, and simply fun ways to createa treasured heirloom out of nothing.

What can I make out of old furniture?

The short answer is: Anything. If TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube have taught us anything is that creativity has no limits when it comes to DIY furniture. What it does come down to is your willingness to try something new and the perseverance to rummage through garage sales and thrift stores for home decor. “Other popular places to look for items to upcycle are Facebook Marketplace, estate sales, and swap meets or flea markets,” says Wendy Smit ofWendy Smit Interiorsin Nashville.

Your skill level, of course, comes into play. Popular upcycled furniture projects include headboard updates, chalk paint magic on a vintage console table, old table transformations, kitchen island rehabs, refinishing midcentury cabinets, and lighting.So much lighting! “The options for upcycled furniture are endless if you’re handy and have a good imagination,” Smit says.

你怎么升级改造为初学者家具吗?

“There are tons of video tutorials to get inspiration on TikTok (#furniturefliphas 5 billion views) and Instagram,” Baena says. “For beginners to DIY furniture, I recommend starting withreupholstering, painting, or staining.” Smit suggests you start by looking around your own home for items that no longer serve you, could use an update, or need a new function. For instance, anold IKEA bookshelf可以转换成一个精明的新作品。一个这ng to keep in mind is that you’re already working with old furniture and, while refinishing or repurposing gives it new life, if you mess up you’re destroying something of serious value. Read on for some ideas to get you started.

Sarah Montgomery Design turns an old dresser into a beautiful bar.

Photo: Margaret Rajic

If you’re looking for a beginner project, Smit recommends this easy changeup. “Take the doors off of an old cabinet, then sand and paint [it]. Add some fun glasses and your favorite spirits, and you’ve made a bar—no additional tools or time needed,” she says. Designer Sarah Montgomery went with a piece fromAshley Harding of Vintage Refinedto refinish a worn cabinet that was the perfect height to allow for styling and layering art on top. Montgomery removed the shelf and the drawers and painted the inside a flat black to contrast with the green lacquer. For a final touch, she added an old bread board painted with chalk paint so her clients could write out the drink recipe or a menu.

For a bathroom vanity with a lot of character, Smit loves converting an old dresser. Just make sure that the top of your piece of furniture is wide enough to accommodate the chosen sink and faucet, but, otherwise, it’s just a matter of cutting holes in the top and back of the dresser to allow for the water pipes.

你ave a rusty patio set in the back that has seen better days?Consider powder coatingit to make it look completely brand new. Since this DIY project requires special tools, it’s best to seek a professional who has experience repurposing furniture. Ideally, you want to sandblast the steel and wrought iron piece to remove chipped paint and rust and then have it powder coated in the color of your choosing. “Costs generally range from $50 for a stool to $250 for a dining table,” Falk says. Alternatively, if you have a knack for the arts, paint faux textures over metal.

“Paint is your best friend when it comes to entry-level upcycling,” Falk says. “I prefer to make statement pieces out of repurposed furniture, so I lean toward one-off pieces and bright, bold colors. You’ll create an evocative statement piece that’s not only useful, but a conversation starter.” For example, take a dated side table that might fit well in a grandmother’s guest boudoir, sand off the old paint with medium grit sandpaper, clean off the debris, let it dry, then finally apply two coats of bright, glossy paint.

Adding dandy hardware is a super easy DIY hack for upcycling furniture.

© Lisa Romerein

If you’ve inherited an heirloom piece, but the hardware doesn’t fit your aesthetic, swap it out for a different style for one of the easiest DIY projects, Baena says. Measure the opening to ensure you buy the right size, then unscrew the existing pulls and screw in your new ones. The process can take less than five minutes. For a grander revamp, add a fresh coat of paint beforehand.

“One of my most favorite examples of repurposed furniture is utilizing old architectural salvage in novel and useful ways,” Falk says, who once gave new life to an old door from the mid 1700s (found for a song at an architectural salvage shop in Gowanus, Brooklyn) to make a low-to-the-ground dining table top surface. Falk first sanded it down, then applied a light blue semi gloss paint. “I lightly brushed onto the wood in the same direction as the grain,” she says. “Underneath the door’s tabletop surface, I simply used a pair of affordable wood outdoor side tables as legs, et voilà!”

Wood colors and finishes are constantly going in and out of style, but that’s generally not a reason to chuck out a perfectly solid piece of furniture. Baena loves to refinish or restain wood pieces to create a brand-new look. The process is fairly straightforward. Sand or apply a paint stripper likeCitriStrip. If using stripper, use a scrapper or putty knife to remove old paint. This can be a bit of a challenge if your piece has detailed grooves or layers upon layers of paint. Clean it all up with mineral spirits. Sand to polish off the surface and take off any remnant paint pieces. Applypre-stain wood conditioner, then the stain. Complete the project with a coat or two ofpolycrylic protective finish.

Who needs to buy abar cartwhen you make one yourself? One of Baena’s favorite tricks is to add wheels to a table to convert it into an entirely new piece of furniture. This works best on a small piece (like a side table) with a shelf underneath. Buy a set oftable caster wheels with locks(making sure they can support the amount of weight on your table), flip your table over, and attach one wheel to each leg with a power drill. Fill your new rolling table with booze, books, or whatever you want to make mobile.

If you want totake an upholstered piece of furnitureto another level and bestow it with a bit more flair, Baena recommends adding fringe or trim. You can use a contrasting color for a pop (likethese DIY rainbow pillows), or keep it tone-on-tone for a textured look.Etsy is a particularly great spotto find trims in all different colors and styles.

A mirror frame update is an easy DIY but you can also make charming mirrors out of old picture frames, Smit advices. Use them in a powder room or a small hallway. And if you have aglass cutter, you can even measure and cut the mirror to size yourself. Exercise caution, however, both of these items are very sharp.

Building a kitchen island from scratch can be costly, and relocating an island with is not like relocating a regular piece of furniture. Smit instead loves to find a beautiful table, attach a butcher block to the top, and create a ready-made kitchen prep surface in no time. Plus it can be moved around from room to room, doubling as an innovative spot for a cheeseboard or dessert station.

For more advanced repurposers or for those who desire a weekend-worthy project, Falk recommends reupholstering a lounge chair or a stool. “You can find a bevy of worthwhile videos on YouTube or TikTok with instructions on how to do just so,” she says. “Double the points if you repaint or powdercoat a chair and then reupholster it too.”

The only real difference between a changing table and a dresser? Sometimes, it’s just the name. Some changing table models, however, will have a small lip around the edge of the top to keep the changing pad from slipping off. Adding your own, however, is super easy. You’ll just want to create a short-sided box out of wood that’s the same dimensions as your dresser, then screw into the top.

When Smit comes into possession of a coffee table that’s perhaps too big for a space, she might salvage it by turning it into a bench.All that’s needed for this projectis to slice the table lengthwise and reposition the legs, but you will want to make sure that it’s sturdy enough to allow for sitting. To make it extra comfy, add some foam and staple fabric all around to make a seat.

If your living room is lacking seating, but you have an extra low table lying around, it’s easy to attach cushioning to the top to make an ottoman. All you’ll need is some sturdy foam, your choice of fabric, and a staple gun to make it work. One tip: Make sure the table is sturdy enough to withstand the weight before you go crazy with the staple gun.